By examining the perspectives of Kazakhstani IB teachers regarding their role in the International Baccalaureate program to develop a successful student who will be able to meet requirements of the modern world, it was identified that the present program is vital in enhancing students` higher-order thinking skills and holistically developing
students. Furthermore, the thoroughness and rigor in student development depends on how effectively the program is interpreted and implemented. In addition, the study highlights the role of every single member of the school community in delivering the program which can be used further by educational stakeholders to improve the implementation of
international curricula within Kazakhstani context.
Findings indicate benefits of conducting professional development courses in the successful realization of the international program in various non – Western contexts, particularly in Kazakhstani IB schools. Moreover, according to participants` responses practicing distributed leadership and establishing clear expectations also result in effective implementation of the international program. However, some drawbacks of establishing the current program were also identified. They are teacher overload, and a mismatch between the IB values and the local culture and values.
Moreover, the issue of whether the IB program is culturally relevant and could be implemented in a non-Western context is still debatable. To address the issue of cultural intervention, it is important to pay attention to the nature of the program and to properly interpret the idea of the IB program and integrate them in the classroom. Moreover, school authorities are responsible for endorsing effective teaching and learning by establishing a school-wide system. Furthermore, new policies and reforms should be adopted and clear instructions with firm deadlines should be put into practice and followed. In general, it is apparent from findings and literature that successful development of IB components will
PROGRAM IN ONE IB SCHOOL IN ASTANA
positively influence the implementation of the whole program. It is vital to note that novice teachers who have no prior teaching experience tend to successfully implement the
international program over their experienced colleagues. Limitations and future research
The present study has some limitations which should be taken into account when planning future research. Since the study employed qualitative approach which aimed at highlighting lived experiences of people from their perspectives, the study was mostly based on the subjective perspectives of the participants. However, the researcher tried to eliminate the present limitation by triangulating findings using document analysis and classroom observation.
Sampling. As the nature of the study was to investigate the perceptions of IB program by Kazakhstani IB teachers, the purposeful sampling was employed for the present study. As the present study was conducted in the English language, the researcher used specific criteria to select participants where one of the main criteria was the ability to speak English. Thus, all the participants were young novice teachers with no previous teaching experience and with experience living abroad. It, in turn, influenced the findings and did not give a holistic view on the topic. Furthermore, bearing in mind that English is the third language of communication, not all participants could express their ideas to the fullest extent.
Data collection. The researcher faced challenges when transcribing the audio records. The quality of the interview was somewhat poor because some participants spoke quietly and it was difficult to understand particular words and expressions. Therefore, the researcher had to go for member-checking which was somewhat difficult as at that particular time slot teachers were very busy with their reports.
PROGRAM IN ONE IB SCHOOL IN ASTANA
Future research. It would be beneficial to conduct mix-method research to get more in-depth picture of how Kazakhstani IB teachers perceive the present program. Moreover, it would be more effective to include all the IB schools of Astana city to see the whole picture of implementing international teaching within Kazakhstani context. To obtain various and rich data, the number of participants should be increased. Furthermore, the interview should be conducted in Russian and Kazakh languages which would result in recruiting not only young teachers but also experienced. In addition, including students in future studies would incorporate feedback from students on the influence of the program and would give a holistic picture on whether IB interferes with their values.
Researcher reflection
As my first experience of a case study, the research brought uncertainties,
challenges and delight. In the very beginning of my research path, it was difficult for me to choose a topic and research question for the investigation. I realized that the creation of research questions has its own pitfalls and my research findings are tightly connected with the quality of the designed research question. Therefore, I was somewhat stressed out and felt uncertainty when writing the introduction and literature review parts. However, my supervisor could provide strong support that helped me greatly in “putting basis for the future research”. Another thing that made me stressed out is that I had very tough deadlines. Moreover, I needed to fulfill all the requirements of my supervisor and at the same time to fulfill my duties at work.
September and October were the most challenging months for me and I even started thinking that I might drop-out from the program because of such load. Surprisingly, I have survived that “harsh” period and could continue working on my thesis because I
PROGRAM IN ONE IB SCHOOL IN ASTANA
researcher. Moreover, it was my initiative to apply for the Master Program and that is why I changed my mind to a positive side and stopped complaining about overload.
The most interesting part of my thesis writing was data collection, as I was working with participants and could gather information which would address my questions. While I was writing findings and discussion chapters I felt confident because I had obtained rich data from participants. It was a delight for me to work with the responses of my
participants, to analyze and interpret them.
Overall, I enjoyed the current process of writing the thesis. During this period I always felt support from my supervisor and it made my work easier.
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PROGRAM IN ONE IB SCHOOL IN ASTANA Appendix A
TEACHER INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Title: “Teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and concerns about the implementation of the International Baccalaureate program in one IB school in Astana.” Dear Participant,
DESCRIPTION: You are invited to participate in a research study on the
purpose to explore Kazakhstani teachers` understanding, attitudes and beliefs regarding the new IB program. Particularly, the Learner Profile in order to deeply understand their concerns and challenges. This is important to note that the researcher is not going to evaluate programs or teachers practice, the only aim of the researcher is to know more about teachers` experiences.
TIME INVOLVEMENT: You will be asked a series of questions about your perceptions and any experiences of teaching international curriculum. Additionally, you will be asked to spend some time for follow-up interview questions in order to avoid bias and misinterpretation from the researcher sider. Your participation will take approximately 45 minutes. We will allocate one classroom, so it will be convenient to take interview and avoid cases of being interrupted by other people.
RISKS AND BENEFITS: There may be minor psychological risks. Since you are currently working in an IB school, there is risk of information leak and to be identified. In order to avoid such risks you have the rights to reject or stop the interview at any time if they feel pressure from the researcher side or uncomfortable with interview or its
questions. Please, be informed that the researcher is there to know about your teaching experiences only but to not evaluate/ judge their programs or work. Your responses will not influence the relationship with your school and Nazarbayev University. You will have an opportunity to take a copy of this form.
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Your names will be anonymized by giving pseudonyms (e.g. your names will be coded as teacher 1, teacher 2 and so on). The researcher will disclose that the findings will be read by the supervisor and presented in the final thesis paper and in conferences or publications potentially. After transcribing, the researcher will keep all the audio-recording and transcripts in a safe and secure place for 2 years and will not share their responses with others. Moreover, to keep confidentiality of the interviewee, the researcher will keep the raw data separate from the consent forms. And for the site, the researcher will not disclose